The Great Free Comics for New Readers Experiment

It’s no secret that comiXology offers some great FREE reads for comics fans of all types. With new titles added to the list every week alongside our other weekly releases; our FREE comic collection has come to include some great reads both classic and contemporary. Recently modern master comic scribe Greg Pak (Vision Machine, Planet Hulk, Incredible Hercules) set to out to conduct a little experiment through Google+ challenging New Readers to explore some of the great offerings out there in the world of sequential art storytelling. We think it’s great! Check out the experiment below and why not take part, or better yet introduce a new comic reader to some of the modern day classics available for FREE from comiXology? Just follow the steps in Greg Pak’s experiment and let us know what you think:

So who out there is interested in comics but doesn’t know where to start? Have an iPad or other iDevice? Ready to try a painless, potentially mind-blowing, and entirely FREE experiment with me?

1. Go to the App Store and download the Comixology app. Install, register, and open that sucker up.

2. Click on the “Browse” button in the upper right. Click on “Series,” then download the following FREE comics:

“Action Philosophers: Ayn Rand!” (+Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey)
“Atomic Robo” #1 (+Brian Clevinger and +Scott Wegener)
“Battlestar Galactica” #0 (yours truly and Nigel Raynor)
“Bayou” #1 (Jeremy Love)
“Bone” #1 (Jeff Smith)
“Ex-Machina” #1 (Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris)
“Fear Itself: The Worthy” #5 (yours truly and Lee Weeks)
“Mouse Guard” #1 (Scott Petersen)
“Planetary” #1 (+Warren Ellis and John Cassaday)
“Scott Pilgrim Vol 1″ (First chapter) (+Bryan Lee O’Malley)
“Vision Machine” #1-3 (me again and RB Silva)
“Walking Dead” #1 (Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore)
“Y The Last Man” #1 (Brian K Vaughan and Pia Guerra)

(The above is a list of modern classics (plus a few of my own comics which I’ve thrown in because I’m shameless like that). A pretty good variety of genres, all perfect starting points for their respective storylines.)

3. Click on the “Free” button on the navigation bar and download anything else that catches your fancy.

4. Read some stuff! Don’t worry about reading it all — just check out what looks like fun.

5. Then come back here (https://plus.google.com/118004481840782880691/posts/AZG6KpPjMB4) and tell us what you think!

A few questions for the conversation:

1. How was the reading experience? Did the storytelling make sense? How did reading the comic in digital form compare to reading a physical comic book?
2. Were you sucked in? Did you want to read the next issue in the series?
3. Are you now addicted? Will you read more comics? Did you pay money for anything on the Comixology app after trying out the free stuff?

Can’t wait to hear what you think!

As someone who’s always interested in roping new people into reading comics, I’ve loved +Joe Mulvey’s thought-provoking and hilarious “What do you REALLY know about comics?” interviews at http://joemulveyart.com/. The above experiment is directly inspired by Joe and his columns. Please reshare if you like the idea!

Don’t forget to follow Greg Pak’s experiment on Google+ and while you’re there feel free to add +ComiXology Comics to your circles as well. As the results pour in and more people read these awesome FREE comics be sure to check back for updates and more FREE goodies. Our library of free offerings is nearly up to 500 comic books and with comics from all your favorite publishers there is bound to be a book out there for everybody!

X-Men Phoenix Warsong and Endsong $0.99 sale!

Industry superstar Greg Land and rising star Greg Pak begin their amazing X-Men work here! The mysterious and powerful PHOENIX FORCE is life incarnate, and yet it consumes whole worlds in a moment. Its long history with the X-Men is fraught with tragedy…especially concerning one of the most beloved of their number, JEAN GREY. What will happen when the Phoenix returns to Earth in search of the one mortal who could ever contain its power…only to find her dead?

It’s Friday, start the weekend off right by downloading two amazing story arcs for half their normal price. The Phoenix is back! But where has it been reborn? Fire and pain await the X-Men. Can they handle what’s to come?!

Find out by adding both X-Men: Phoenix Warsong and Endsong to your digital library today. This is one red hot sale you don’t want to miss out on so don’t wait download these ten issues in the Comics by comiXology app or Marvel comics app  today!

A Vision of the Future: Greg Pak’s Vision Machine Concludes!

Teaming up with Space Goat productions and rising star R.B. Silva of Jimmy Olsen fame. Greg Pak delivers a story as original as his now classic Planet Hulk outing for Marvel, only this time readers don’t have to leave earth to enjoy a story out of this world. Accompanied by R.B. Silva’s amazing pencils and rounded out by the talented team fromm Space Goat, Vision Machine provides a unique take on the digital trends of today’s world and what those tends may lead to fifty years from now. Chilling and thought provoking, Pak’s Vision Machine has the making of an instants classic for the new year, and the best part is, it’s absolutely FREE!

Still not convinced? Check out what the fine folks over at Guerrilla Geek have to say, as well as commentary from Pak on AOL’s Comics Alliance.

Get caught up on issues #1 and #2 then check out the newly released conclusion right here on comiXology.